First off you're going to want a headset with a decent sound quality and, most importantly, the ability to accurately represent where sounds are coming from. Beyond that, however, it's mostly up to personal preference and (this is also very important) comfort. If you're at all serious about gaming you're going to be spending multiple hours with the headset on top of your head and you really don't want to be wearing something that annoys you or is uncomfortable.

On forums and discussion boards you often see people talking about headsets versus headphones paired with an external mic. If you're asking us both have their merits so there's no clear winner in that battle. The main advantage of a headset is of course the fact that the mic is attached to the headphones so the whole thing is very portable and compact.

On the other hand, going for a headphones + external mic combo allows you to not only pick the best set of headphones for you but it also allows you to go for a high quality microphone which is something that gaming headsets in the low to mid range often skimp on. You don't necessarily need a broadcast quality mic if you're only going to be gaming but if you're often doing voice calls or you want to do some streaming on the side it's certainly a solid idea to invest in a high quality mic.

In any case: headsets are used by the majority of VALORANT pros, and that makes sense. It offers them a portable solution to take with them to tournaments and practice houses, and if you're streaming on the side there's of course no one stopping you from using a headset and then using an external mic along with it. For most users we'd definitely also recommend a headset: it's just far more convenient and again: voice quality isn't that important for gaming.

Quick note: in our lists we sometimes count different iterations of the same product together to prevent situations where products that are practically the same (with some small changes) take up multiple spots in our list.

We counted the Cloud II and Cloud Alpha together for this article. HyperX also recently released the Cloud Alpha S but we consider that a different headset as it has a bunch of extra features and is sold at a different price point than these two products.

It's a bit odd to call a headset 'legendary' but HyperX's Cloud line of headsets definitely deserves that moniker. The original Cloud quickly made its way up the ranks as being one of the best 'bang for your buck' headsets out there and its successor, the Cloud II merrily carried on down that street.

What you get with the Cloud is a headset made out of sturdy materials, comfortable padding, and devoid of any super aggressive 'gamer looking' design cues unless you go for a team-branded headset.

The Cloud II is currently the most used Cloud headset, followed by the Alpha. Since the differences between these are small we added both of them together so our list of headsets is a bit more varied. When it comes to choosing between the two we'd definitely recommend the Alpha, however.

Compared to the Cloud II the Alpha has better audio quality and a slightly improved microphone though the Cloud II could be considered more comfortable. Doubly so because it comes with an additional set of velours ear cups, something that the Alpha does not include. Aside from this the differences between both are extremely small, to the point where some (ourselves included) would consider the Alpha a successor to the Cloud II. One more thing to note is that the Alpha does not have virtual surround sound, something that the II does offer.

What you get here is a no-nonsense headset with a reliable design that will last you several rough LAN trips along with a pretty decent mic, very nice sound quality, a reliable sound stage, and a comfortable build. If you're someone who loves tweaking EQ settings and creating a bunch of custom profiles for every game then this isn't the product for you though: there's no software here. All in all this is the perfect headset to go for if you're looking for a reliable plug and play headset that will last you a long time.

Logitech's G Pro line is well known among competitive and pro gamers for its focus on what competitive gamers want. That means no gimmicky RGB strips and integration or outrageous design elements but a focus on performance and nothing more. This G Pro X headset (there are also other G Pro X products) is the successor to the G Pro Gaming Headset and it improves on that in a number of ways.

Its sturdier design is already an improvement but that's not where it ends. The G Pro X packs BLUE VO!CE mic technology, for instance. This reduces background noise, adds compression, enhances clarity, ... In other words: it makes you sound great. You get an extremely large amount of options to tune the way your voice sounds to your teammates and friends, resulting in one of the better sounding mics on a gaming headset on the market right now.

The headset also comes with a set of pre defined EQ profiles which have been made with esports pros so you can get that ideal balance to filter out the important noises and it has DTS HEADPHONE:X 2.0 surround sound. That's the cherry on top for an already pretty great sounding headset. The memory foam padding will ensure that you can keep the G Pro X on your head for extended gaming sessions too, so you can enjoy everything that this has to offer without hurting your crown.

All in all Logitech has delivered a great headset for gamers with this G Pro X, and it's a fantastic upgrade on the G Pro Gaming Headset.

Razer's BlackShark V2 line of headsets has been making waves ever since it was released, and it's not hard to see why. Rather than focusing on unnecessary gimmicks and ultimately useless extra options, the BlackShark V2 nails the essentials: it's a sturdy, reliable headset with a great sound stage and a fantastic microphone.

The BlackShark V2 isn't the most wallet-friendly option on the market (definitely not if you opt for the wireless version) so this is more geared towards the mid-high end market of gaming headsets, but you do get plenty of bang for your buck. It's comfy, has great (passive) noise isolation so that you can game in peace without being disturbed by your surroundings, and it has great audio quality that you can tweak in Razer's Synapse software to get a sound profile that matches your preferences.

All in all, the BlackShark V2 (Pro) is one of our favorite mid-tier gaming headsets on the market right now. It's a simple design and idea, but sometimes less definitely is more, and it's no surprise to see so many pros are taking a liking to this offering from Razer.

Sennheiser isn't a very well known gaming brand because they don't make mice or mousepads or anything like that. Instead, they focus on what they do best: audio. The company has been around for a long time and as such they know what makes a headset sound great.

The GAME ZERO is a very light gaming headset with an absolutely fantastic sound quality. It's tweaked for competitive gaming, so that means that you get clear mids and highs without the lower tones drowning everything out. That last part can be a bit of a problem with other gaming headsets: driving up the bass is a quick fix to get that cinematic and bombastic sound but it's not great for competitive gaming since footsteps, reload sounds, and so on are in the mid and high registers.

Aside from the fantastic sound the GAME ZERO also comes with a great mic. Your voice will sound clear and precise and the noise cancellation is pretty darn good as well.

This is tuned for competitive gaming, and that's pretty much all you're going to get out of it though. That's not to say that you can't use this headset for media but there is no way to tune the EQ or adjust the settings so what you get out of the box is pretty much it. You can mute the mic and adjust the overall volume but that's where the customization ends.

If you want a lightweight headset that's plug and play and made for competitive gamers by a company that's been doing audio for over half a century this belongs on your list however.

Sennheiser initially released two gaming headsets in their aptly named 'GAME' line. This GAME ONE is similar to the GAME ZERO but it has a number of differences that make is stand out from its sibling if you're asking us.

The first major difference lies in the fact that the GAME ONE has an open back construction. This means that there are openings in the earcup shells that allow the sound that comes out of the drivers to flow out of the headphones. This means that sound isn't 'trapped' inside a closed off earcup, allowing for a wider soundstage. That gives you a better and more realistic representation of spatial audio but it does have its tradeoffs. What goes out can come back in, for example, meaning that the openings in the ear cup allow outside noises to get in a lot easier. That's no problem if you're gaming in a quiet room but if you're in noisy environments a lot it's definitely something to consider.

Aside from that this all plastic GAME ONE has velvet earcup pads (as opposed to the faux leather ones on the GAME ZERO) and a slightly less defined bass when compared to its sibling. In short: if you prefer a nice and wide soundstage and you're gaming in quiet environments we'd recommend the GAME ONE, otherwise the GAME ZERO is an option.